Throughout my Chartered Institue of Marketing (CIM) qualification in Professional Marketing, I’ve been writing up lecture notes to give a little taster on what to expect if you’re considering taking the course yourself; or if you’re just looking for marketing advice on tools, models and strategies. It’s a really valuable course if you are interested in marketing. I found it particularly worthwhile completing the course while alongside work, as it provided opportunities to learn new tactics from both a theory and client-facing point of view.
My CIM lecture notes are in the three following sections:
Marketing Module
A marketers role is important in driving success to the business, and delivering results. This module takes you through the foundations of marketing, and I would strongly recommend this as a stand-alone module for anyone looking for a career in marketing, if you don’t want to take the full course. It outlines an understanding of how external environmental influences affect planning, and how information enables decision making. The marketing mix was a key element of this unit, and how you can apply the marketing mix to address market and customer needs. Please see below for my CIM lecture notes on the marketing module:
Week 1 – Marketing’s position within a business
Marketing defined! Exploring the definition of marketing, its functions and roles it plays within a business. This blog also includes a great description of key terms and useful definitions!
Week 2 – Planning and buying behaviour
This blog explores the marketing planning process, why it’s an important part of marketing, and how buying behaviour affects the purchase decision. These lecture notes also explore how influencers have an impact on the business, or customer/ consumer such as environmental, social and political.
Week 3 – Factors and trends in the marketing environment
Trends are important for marketers as they help us identify what direction marketing is taking ahead of time. Knowing trends before they happen allow us to understand what is and isn’t working, and then implement that change before your competition does.
Week 4 – Marketing information and research
Marketing information/data and research, why we need insight as marketers, and how we can use it to make better judgments and more effective campaigns. Understanding that data + information = INSIGHT.
Week 5 – Presenting your data and information to form insights
How to present and gather insights from raw data. Once we have these insights into the current situation, we can then use them in forecasting; this blog discusses the benefits of forecasting in marketing.
Week 6 – Outlining the marketing mix
It must be the MOST fundamental of all marketing concepts, behold… the marketing mix! Here’s everything you need to know about the famous 4 Ps of marketing.
Week 7 – Putting the marketing mix into context
How we can adapt the marketing mix to the following organisation types, business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), and not for profit/third sector, and small to medium-sized enterprise (SME). Markets are dynamic, and constantly changing, this blog explains how we can shift our marketing activities in order to meet different objectives.
Digital Marketing Module
This module appreciates the importance of the ever-changing digital landscape and how to improve digital marketing effectiveness from using the tools required; While also providing awareness to the challenges and opportunities marketers face within the digital environment. I will applaud CIM as they ensure they update their syllabus each year, meaning that they are teaching students what is happening NOW. In the digital landscape, we need to be aware of was is happening right now in order to give us a competitive edge. Please see below for my CIM lecture notes on the digital marketing module:
Week 1 – Digital disruption and The Scope of Digital Marketing
Digital disruption and more importantly how they can make an impact on your business model. We also looked at the scope of digital marketing, with specific attention to the Internet of things, Big Data, and Marketing Automation.
Week 2 – Integration of Online and Offline Marketing
Assessing the impact and influence of the dynamic digital environment and how customer behaviour has changed as a result. Today we looked into ways to integrate online and offline marketing concepts to increase impact.
Week 3 – Digital tools in the marketing mix
How digital tools can support and enhance marketing efforts, and the role of digital marketing within the marketing and extended marketing mix.
Week 4 – Digital tools strengths and weaknesses
Here’s a great overview of the digital tools available and how they can support and enhance your marketing strategy with their strengths and weaknesses. This blog also covers the ways in which digital hardware can fit into marketing.
Week 5 – Describing the process and stages involved for digital adoption
The process and stages involved in digital adoption, common misuses and evaluating platforms for different contexts.
Week 6 – Digital marketing plan models (Your planning tool kit!)
A COMPLETE guide to planning models and how to use them! This blog covers the customer journey, Multi-channel campaigns, Marketing Funnel, RACE model, and SOSTAC.
Integrated Communications
Understanding the importance of effective internal and external communications in building sustainable relationships, and delivering customer value. It dives deep into explaining how the concept of product and brand management can enable brands to deliver customer value. This module also looks at how we can apply the marketing mix in terms of producing consistent brand messaging throughout the business. Please see below for my CIM lecture notes on the Integrated Communications module:
Week 1 – Integrated Communications
The value and importance of good internal and external communications. How effective internal communication is key to building sustainable relationships and delivering customer value.
Week 2 – Benefits of Having Internal Relationships
The benefits of internal relationships in the workplace and what they mean to the company and employees, and the different methods available for communication.
Week 3 – Allocating internal resources
Each organisation needs efficient resources to maintain a successful business, this blog outlines why these resources need to be effectively managed and allocated.
Week 4 – Brand and Product Management
Successful brand building is at the root of a profitable business and one of the biggest hurdles that a marketing team will face. Marketing’s role serves to generate brand awareness and to strengthen brand image as a strong brand will generate profits.
Week 5 – Brand Building Models
This week we explored how we use different models for brand building and the different types of brand attributes. A blog covering the following brand building methods, Brand Identity Prism, Perceptual Map, AIDA and Customer Value Proposition (CVP).
Week 6 – Integrated Communications Planning
Identifying appropriate SMART communication objectives and how to recommend integrated marketing communication (IMC) plans. As well as the 3 Ps – Push Pull and Profile Strategies.
Week 7 – Media Implementation Cycle
How the media implementation cycle fits into marketing communication planning, and how we might measure effectiveness across multiple channels.
If this blog has sparked interest, and you are looking for information regarding the Chartered Institute of Marketing, visit CIM.
